DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq2348
Mathilde N. Delaval1, Hendryk Czech1,2, Mohammad Almasaleekh1,2, Svenja Offer1,2, Jana Pantzke1,2, Mika Ihalainen3, Pasi Yli-Pirilä3, Markus Somero3, Miika Kortelainen3, Nadine Gawlitta1, Jürgen Orasche1, Gert Jakobi1, Deeksha Shukla1,2, Patrick Martens2,4, Andreas Paul5, Zheng Fang6, Michal Pardo6, Alexandre Barth7, Battist Utinger7, Seongho Jeong1,8, Narges Rastak1, Evelyn Kuhn1, Anja Huber1, Arya Mukherjee3, Arunas Mesceriakovas3, Jorma Joutsensaari9, Jani Leskinen3, Anni Hartikainen3, Johannes Passig2, Sebastian Oeder1, Jürgen Schnelle-Kreis1, Thorsten Hohaus5, Astrid Kiendler-Scharr5, Markus Kalberer7, Sebastiano Di Bucchianico1,2, Yinon Rudich6, Olli Sippula3,10, and Ralf Zimmermann1,2
1Joint Mass Spectrometry center (JMSc) at comprehensive Molecular Analytics (cMA), helmholtz Zentrum München, neuherberg, Germany.
2JMSc at Analytical chemistry, institute of chemistry, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
3Department of environmental and Biological Sciences, University of eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
4Desert Research institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, nv 89512, USA.
5Institute of energy and climate Research, ieK-8: troposphere, Forschungszentrum Jülich Gmbh, Jülich, Germany.
6Department of earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann institute of Science, Rehovot, israel.
7Department of environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
8Institute of chemical and environmental engineering, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Neubiberg, Germany.
9Department of technical Physics, University of eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
10Department of chemistry, University of eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.
Abstract
Tailpipe emissions from road traffic contribute substantially to the burden of fine inhalable particulate matter (PM2.5) and deteriorate air quality. Exhaust emission standards, forcing improvements in combustion and exhaust after-treatment technology, considerably decreases combustion-related PM2.5 emitted by modern cars. A549 cancerous alveolar and BEAS-2B normal bronchial epithelial cells were exposed at the air-liquid interface to the total aerosol or gas phase of either fresh or photochemically aged tailpipe emissions from a gasoline EURO 6d car equipped with a gasoline particulate filter. Diluted fresh emissions contained particle number concentrations comparable to low ambient air levels and induced no detectable cytotoxicity. Photochemical aging led to the formation of secondary aerosols and caused significant cytotoxicity. While the aged aerosol induced significant DNA damage, oxidative stress was more associated with volatile secondary species. Our results call for the consideration of the exhaust emission atmospheric transformation processes in future emission standards toward Health effect-driven emission regulations.